CRM

First CRM Recommendations 2025

What to look for in a first CRM as a growing team, including a list of up to date recommendations as of November 2025

· 7 min read
First CRM Recommendations 2025

Choosing your first CRM is a big deal when growing a business and team. CRMs are core to so many businesses, and there is good reason why.

With there being loads of options (too many), choosing the right CRM platform is overwhelming. Getting it right is a big win, but the wrong choice could lead to wasted resources, and ultimately lost deals and revenue.

Before looking at specific recommendations, here are some thoughts on what to think about when looking for a first CRM.

What to look for in your first CRM

How likely is your team to use it?

If your team doesn’t enjoy using the tool, they won’t, and your investment will be wasted.

Things to look for to increase chance of good adoption:

  • Intuitive interface and design
  • Comprehensive onboarding and learning resources
  • Other users say the platform is enjoyable to use (would recommend reaching out to a few)

What features do you actually need?

You almost definitely do not need all the features on offer in major platforms.

The fundamental features you need:

  • Basic contact and lead management through records and fields
  • Easy deal pipeline tracking and visualization
  • Email integration and tracking
  • Workflow automation
  • Custom reporting and dashboards
  • Good mobile app

Advanced features like lead scoring, territory management, and predictive analytics can wait. You’ll know when it’s time.

How does the cost scale?

The real cost of CRM platforms isn’t usually the starting cost, it’s how it scales as you grow, and whether the tool needs implementation support from external contactors.

Things you should investigate (make sure you understand the costs) if present:

  • Other users report implementation costs (external developers needed)
  • Storage and record-based costs (looking at you, HubSpot).
  • Credit-based pricing for AI and/or automation features.
  • Useful features being locked behind higher tiers.
  • Annual vs. monthly billing discounts (typically 18-20% savings)

Implementation and Support

Things to double check:

  • Setup complexity
  • Customer support availability (chat, email, phone)
  • Quality of documentation
  • Strong community
  • Onboarding assistance (some platforms charge a lot for this)

Following on, here are some recommendations to check out for your first CRM as of November 2025.

5 Recommendations For Your First CRM in 2025

1. HubSpot CRM

Best for: Teams wanting an all in one platform with a strong marketing integration.

HubSpot is an established incumbent and one of the most widely used CRM platforms. What sets HubSpot apart for growing businesses users is its seamless integration of sales and marketing in one platform.

Key features:

  • Free plan for up to 2 users with up to 1,000 contacts
  • Activity logging
  • Email tracking and templates
  • Reporting and dashboards
  • Over 1,900 app integrations
  • AI-powered tools (Breeze) for automation and insights

Pricing structure:

  • Free: Basic CRM features for up to 2 users
  • Starter: $15 per user/month (annual billing)
  • Professional: $90 per user/month with $1,500-$3,000 onboarding fee
  • Enterprise: $1,300+ per month for 5 seats

Why it’s a good first CRM:

  • Widely used free tier with good value
  • Comprehensive educational resources through HubSpot Academy
  • Strong community support and documentation
  • Excellent for inbound marketing strategies

Considerations:

  • Significant pricing jump as you go up the tiers
  • Record and storage based pricing
  • Essential features like email sequences require Professional plan ($90/user/month)
  • Can feel overwhelming due to the sheer volume of features
  • Interface hasn’t changed in years, and feels outdated compared to newer options
  • Professional onboarding costs thousands of dollars

2. Attio CRM

Best for: Tech-forward startups wanting maximum customization and modern design

Attio represents a new wave of CRM, built from the ground up for flexibility and modern workflows, along with a stellar UI. Launched in 2019, it’s gaining fast traction among startups and tech companies who want a CRM that adapts to their unique processes rather than forcing them into rigid structures.

Key features:

  • Highly customizable data model with custom objects and attributes
  • Real-time collaboration with simultaneous editing
  • Native email and calendar integration (Gmail, Outlook)
  • Data enrichment (automatically enhances with ARR, funding rounds, connection strength and other data points the user can define)
  • Chrome extension for saving LinkedIn contacts
  • AI-native features built into core functionality
  • Widely praised interface and design, comparisons to Apple or Notion

Pricing structure:

  • Free: Up to 3 users with core features
  • Plus: $29 per user/month (annual billing)
  • Pro: $69 per user/month (annual billing)
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

Why it’s a good first CRM:

  • Generous Free tier up to 3 seats
  • Genuinely flexible: build a CRM that matches your exact workflow
  • Modern interface that users report enjoying
  • Reports of fast performance
  • Strong customer satisfaction
  • Affordable pricing compared to legacy platforms

Considerations:

  • Limited sales-specific features (no native lead scoring or territory management)
  • Lacks marketing features like web visitor tracking and form builders
  • Smaller native app marketplace compared to established competitors; API and Zapier usage is sometimes needed.

3. Zoho CRM

Best for: Budget-conscious businesses

Zoho CRM is the value CRM i.e. it’s not the prettiest, or the most powerful, but offers the most for the money. It has affordable paid tiers that rival other platforms in functionality.

Key features:

  • Automations with rules and approvals
  • AI assistant Zia offers data enrichment and generative workflow capabilities
  • Integration with the rest of the Zoho suite
  • Multi-channel communication tracking

Pricing structure:

  • Free: Up to 3 users with basic features
  • Standard: $14 per user/month (annual), $20 monthly
  • Professional: $23 per user/month (annual), $30 monthly
  • Enterprise: $40 per user/month (annual), $50 monthly
  • Ultimate: $52 per user/month (annual)

Why it’s a good first CRM:

  • Exceptional value
  • Extensive customization options even in lower tiers
  • Strong mobile app
  • Obvious choice if you use other Zoho products

Considerations:

  • Feels bloated and cluttered compared to alternatives
  • Some users report occasional delays in customer support
  • Configuration and permissions can be complex
  • Best value requires committing to the Zoho ecosystem

4. Pipedrive CRM

Best for: Teams laser focused on sales pipeline

Pipedrive claims to be built by salespeople for salespeople, and it’s a fair claim. It “feels” like a sales platform, and is laser focused on pipeline management and deal tracking. This is perfect for some, but less perfect for others.

Key features:

  • Deal rot alerts (flags inactive deals in red)
  • Activity scheduling and tracking
  • Email integration and tracking
  • Leads inbox for qualifying prospects
  • Mobile app
  • AI-powered sales assistant (Pulse)

Pricing structure:

  • Essential: $14 per user/month (annual), $24 monthly (previously called Lite)
  • Advanced: $29 per user/month (annual), $39 monthly (previously called Growth)
  • Professional: $49 per user/month (annual), $64 monthly (previously called Premium)
  • Power: $64 per user/month (annual), $79 monthly
  • Enterprise: $99 per user/month (annual)

Why it’s a good first CRM:

  • Keeps things focused on pipeline
  • Quick setup
  • Focused on sales without other bloat

Considerations:

  • No Free plan (only a trial available)
  • Limited marketing capabilities
  • Essential features require add-ons (costs add up quickly)
  • Basic reporting in lower tiers
  • Customization more limited than competitors
  • Less suitable for general CRM needs outside of pure sales.
  • Requires additional add-ons for marketing capabilities

5. Monday CRM

Best for: Teams wanting visual collaboration combined with CRM functionality

Monday CRM brings the project management DNA of monday.com into the CRM space. It’s a unique platform that excels at visualization and task management alongside traditional customer relationship features. It’s ideal for teams that need to coordinate project management and CRM together..

Key features:

  • Highly visual interface with multiple view options (Kanban, timeline, calendar, Gantt)
  • Email integration (Gmail, Outlook)
  • Workflow automation (limits vary by plan)
  • Customizable dashboards
  • Mobile app
  • AI features for data enrichment and automation
  • Integration with rest of the monday.com suite

Pricing structure:

Why it’s a good first CRM:

  • Strong visuals make it more enjoyable to use
  • Great for teams that need CRM & project management closely intertwined
  • Good customization without technical complexity
  • Strong mobile experience

Considerations:

  • Requires minimum 3 seats even if you have fewer users
  • Complex pricing structure based on seat increments (3, 5, 10, 15, etc.)
  • Basic plan has very limited features and no email functionality
  • Customization hits its limits versus platforms like Attio or HubSpot
  • Automation and integration limits on lower tiers

FAQs

When should a small business implement a CRM?

The ideal time is when you have 10+ active customers or leads, spend over 2 hours weekly on manual data entry, or when team members start missing follow-ups. Don’t wait until you’re drowning in spreadsheets - implementing CRM early creates good habits and clean data from the start.

Do I really need to pay for a CRM, or are free plans enough?

It depends on your needs. Free plans like HubSpot (up to 2 users) and Attio (up to 3 users) offer genuine value for very small teams just getting started. However, most businesses outgrow free plans within 6-12 months as they need features like email automation, advanced reporting, or team collaboration tools. Start with a free plan to prove value, then budget for a paid tier as you scale.

What’s the biggest mistake first-time CRM buyers make?

Choosing a CRM based on features rather than usability. The most common failure point is poor team adoption. If your team finds the system too complex or cumbersome, they won’t use it.

Resources